Bud Grouse panted as he trampled through overgrown weeds and shrubbery, damn he was out of shape...

His navey days were well behind him now at age sixty-five, now Grouse was just happy when he woke up and his joints weren't inflamed. Arthritis was a nasty bitch.

The last year had hit Grouse like a ton of bricks, one day he just woke up and his body was filled with this terrible red hot pain radiating from his joints, everything hurt and it took him a good hour before he was able to get out of bed.

That was jut the start, small yard chores became almost debilitating for him. Next year he'd probably have to pay one of the loud kids to help him, preferably Lincoln...

Cursing Grouse called out in frustration, " Come here Goldie"!

As his Arthritis progressed, his nephew Paul was worried about him living alone. It had become something of a fight, Grouse loved his nephew but he had lived far to long on his own now to become a burden.

Grouse would never become that older family member who rotted in the corner while his family took care of him...

So his nephew in all his wisdom had gifted him a service dog* a young golden retriever who was definitely not a service dog. Bud couldn't help himself, as a young boy he'd had a dog similar. It felt nice being able to talk to someone and Grouse had grown to love that dog.

Goldie had gotten out early, dawn was barely noticeable. Grouse was now regretting this trip unto the woods behind his house, he been walking for almost an hour now. His chest hurt terribly and he could hardly catch his breath,

If he didn't find that damn dog soon he'd have to go back alone, the sounds of something skittering in the underbrush caught Grouse's attention as Goldie nosed through.

The golden retriever rushed over to his owner excitedly, Grouse clutched his chest as a terrible pressure was building along with the pain. Something as terribly wrong and it terrified Grouse.

Lightly petting the dog Bud let's out an indignant " Hey"! As Goldie bolted back into the shrubbery. Staggering over Grouse follows the dog in frustration, it's not long before Bud found the reason why Goldie had gone so far into the woods...

Curling away in disgust Grouse dropped to his knees and vomited, not even his time in Vietnam had he seen such a neasuateing sight.

Dark rotten flesh, roughly the size of small child. Just the torso however, the putrid smell filling Grouse's nostrils.

A child...

The dull ache in his chest intensified, trying not to panic Grouse started crawling back to his house. Goldie had started nosing the corpse to the old means horror, Grouse clutched at his chest in fear.

His heart was beating to fast, Grouse was most definitely having a heart attack. Fear and desperation fought within the sixty-five year old, he couldn't die like this. Not here, Please God not here...